I’d tried to wash it off after I’d memorized every digit. The last thing I wanted was for my uncle to ask me about it. Or Kennedy for that matter. “I just don’t understand why you don’t want to go.”
Kennedy put her hand on her hip. “We hang out with those people all week. Why on earth would you want to go to a party with them?”
“Well, you didn’t even let me tell you my very important point.”
She just stared at me.
“Isabella’s not going to be there.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. She has a way of showing up when you least expect it. Pretty sure she’s a witch.”
“Definitely some kind of monster.”
Kennedy finally smiled. “I still don’t understand why you want to go. Even if Isabella’s not there, Matt probably will be. I thought the plan was to avoid him until you graduate?”
That was the plan. Although it was hard when he sat right in front of me in class. Maybe if I sat in front of him it would be easier to forget him. It sure worked for him.
But this had nothing to do with him. I couldn’t care less if he was there or not. Felix had promised me that tonight would remind me what living felt like. I needed that. I didn’t want to go back to my uncle’s apartment and hang out in my bedroom that wasn’t even really mine. I wanted one night where I could forget that my life had fallen apart.
I refilled the last of the apple rose puffs onto my tray. “I maybe also have never been invited to a party like this before.”
Kennedy laughed.
I finished putting the pastries on my tray.
“Wait, really?” There was the pity again. The look I was used to from everyone but Kennedy. “Why?”
No one wanted the kid whose mom was dying at a party? I don’t know. I was kind of a buzzkill. Instead of saying any of that I just shrugged my shoulders. “I was too busy working all the time.” And when I wasn’t, I was in the hospital.
“Ugh.” Kennedy looked up at the ceiling. She took a few slow breaths like whatever she was about to say was going to pain her.
Which made me so freaking excited.
“Fine, we can stop by,” she said.
“Really?”
“If you’re absolutely positive you don’t want to snag a bottle of champagne and have a much better time just the two of us.”
“As enticing as that is…I really want to go.”
She sighed like tonight was the biggest burden of all time. “But you’re paying for the cab up town.”
“Done.”
“And if you ditch me at this thing I will literally murder you.” She started to pile desserts onto her tray too.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Who on earth did she think I’d ditch her for? “I’ll be glued to your side all night, I swear. As long as you aren’t openly rude to Felix the whole time.”
“I’m never rude. Just…honest.” She lifted her tray with one hand like a boss. “And we can’t stay out too late or my mom will worry. The latest one of these catering events has ever lasted was 1 a.m., so we can’t stay out much past that.”
I had no idea if my uncle would worry. He hadn’t given me a curfew, but I also hadn’t given him a reason to give me one. “Deal.”
“And…”
“How many ands are there going to be?” I asked.
Kennedy laughed. “Just one more. Promise me you won’t smoke weed or something even worse?”
